Hybrid

"A thing made by combining two different elements."

Maybe I'm overthinking this, but I did a mind map.

And here are my sketchbook images.

After various false starts I came to the idea of a hybrid between a human and an animal, so you have people with tails who sit like dogs. Some random fiddling on the computer gave me this which is an interesting effect but maybe not the finished design.I did another figure in the same position but from a different angle.

Then coloured it on the computer.

First with a spray brush, then I redrew it with a more solid line and coloured it with the fill tool. I like the first version best.
I did four different versions of this pose.

Then coloured them.I got some interesting effects using inversion on the first image which gave all the figures orange spots. The colours are predictable and apart from the first figure the tail has been lost, is this evolution? The block colour is a bit predictable and simplistic, not suitable for all applications though it can be more subtle if there is detailed under drawing.

 The second task was to work first on the computer then draw onto the printed image.From my sketches I went for a mermaid.I got a bit distracted by fish scales, drawn above in ink from photographs reference (thank you Google images) and coloured on the computer.

Getting back to the brief,

I did these three versions. The two head studies looked like this.





















The drawing on the left pre-empts the question of what other ways can you work between analog and digital because I drew the head on the computer then printed it out. I'm not as good at drawing on the computer so the drawing is fairly simple but maybe the is a good start as it forces me to stick to what matters about the image at the start.
They are rather dull so I tried drawing a full figure mermaid.

It's not so easy without preliminary studies. My printer is choosing to print an A4 image at A6 size so I had some space for studies, but not enough so I did some in my sketchbook.

Then drew the mermaid again.

I like this version but I'm not sure that it would make sense to someone who hasn't worked through my development process.
What other combinations could be used? A photo could be modified either on the computer or with drawing. Still on mermaids I modified a photo of my family on the beach.






















The picture on the left was drawn on the computer, the version on the right I printed and drew on. Neither are very subtle or sophisticated, nevertheless it's something to consider as an available option.
While fiddling with Photoshop I found the grass brush.
Things like this could be used to add simple effects to a more complicated drawing or to provide a quick background to draw into. The colour combinations available with a computer are readily and quickly available to print out and draw over, they are more diverse than you can get with shop bought paper and quicker to do than a painted surface which may need time to dry before it can be drawn on.
Previously I have used a computer to tidy up illustrations or modify bits that aren't required after the editing process but I have never started with the computer and worked up from there. I guess the cost of printing is a factor in my decision but if I could save time or quickly create the effect that I was looking for then that would offset the costs of printing.

Reviewing my work here I think that these two images are the most successful, the one on the right is less like what I would normally create, I should be more open to experimentation on the computer as it can lead to resolving problems in a different way. It's easier to experiment on the computer because of the option to step back to a more successful version, no excuses for overworking here! The problem is that because I'm not stuck with my mistakes I can just erase them and start again, some of my most successful pictures are developed by fighting with something that didn't go to plan.